Mayor Mike Duggan
Mayor Dave Bing lacked political skills during his stewardship.
Mayor Mike Duggan certainly isn't lacking in that department.
But Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer wonders if Duggan isn't being too political in a column entitled: "Is Duggan bringing backroom dealings back to Detroit?"
Kaffer writes:
Ask Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's administration, and they say replacement of two members of the city's Historic District Commission ahead of a vote linked to a multimillion-dollar development is administrative housekeeping: sorting out board appointments, ensuring all terms are current and that members meet statutory requirements.
But to skeptics, it's roughshod politicking emblematic of the Wayne County administration in which Duggan cut his teeth — and a bad omen for things to come.
Why focus on the historic commission? The seven-member volunteer board will soon vote on the demolition of the derelict Park Avenue Hotel, one of two historic buildings within the footprint of the new Red Wings hockey arena under construction. The $450-million arena is at the heart of a planned entertainment district that is supposed to include retail, nightlife, commercial development, parking, residential housing and lodgings.
The Ilitch organization wants to demolish the hotel. Preservationists believe the Ilitch group hasn't made a convincing case it should be knocked down, Kaffer points out.
Kaffer writes:
In the last month, commissioner Dave Cartwright resigned from the body because he is moving out of the city, said Tom Lewand, Duggan's economic development chief; commissioners are required to maintain Detroit residency throughout their terms. During a routine check of board appointments, Lewand said, officials learned that commissioner Julie Long's term had expired in 2013.
Long told reporters that she remembers being reappointed, but Lewand said there is no record of that. Because mayoral appointments to the board are confirmed by the City Council, Lewand said, a third appointment should have been reflected in the council's meeting minutes. It's not. So Duggan identified and appointed a replacement. Nevertheless, two other commissioners continue to serve even though their terms have also expired.
For preservationists, it's all a bit pat. The council's insistence that Olympia obtain commission approval, followed quickly by a reconfiguration of the board — and Long's dismissal — indicate a back-room hustle to ensure a high-dollar development and a potentially problematic demolition will sail through.
Team Duggan says it's just housekeeping.
